St. Albert considering renaming Grandin neighbourhood

St. Albert is considering changing the name of the Grandin neighbourhood. Connor Hogg explains why.

The Grandin neighbourhood was first built in the 1950s but now its name might become a thing of the past.

Grandin is one of St. Albert’s most mature older neighbourhoods. It’s large trees tower over wide streets, and old-style bungalows are built on lots big enough to fit rows of infill housing.

The area is named after Bishop Vital Grandin, the first bishop of the historic St. Albert diocese. Grandin was also an architect of Canada’s residential school system. Ever since the remains of Indigenous children were discovered near the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron says there have been calls to change the name.

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“For some people, Grandin is just the name of a neighbourhood that’s been around forever,” says Heron. “They don’t really understand who he was. For some, the name Grandin really does trigger a lot of memories of residential schools.”

The City of St. Albert is now asking people who live there to weigh in on the possibility of renaming the neighbourhood, some streets and city infrastructure like Grandin Pond and the Grandin Clubhouse.

If the city decides to change the name, residents who live on affected streets would receive supports from the city to legally change their addresses. Heron says that could involve financial support and that Canada Post would continue to recognize both addresses for a number of years afterwards.

She says private businesses and condo buildings like Grandin Medical Clinic, Grandin Bakery and Grandin Village would not be affected -- unless they chose to rename as well.

There is precedent for this kind of renaming. Last year, Edmonton’s Oliver neighbourhood was renamed to Wîhkwêntôwin. In 2021, after the Kamloops discovery was made, a school in St. Albert named after Bishop Vital Grandin was renamed. At the same time, Edmonton removed the Grandin name from an LRT station and altered murals depicting him. An elementary school near the LRT station was rebranded as well.

The Edmonton Heritage Council was a part of the conversations to rename the LRT station. David Ridley, the council’s executive director, says the controversy speaks to the difficulties that must be considered when choosing to name a building -- particularly after fallible historical figures.

“You maybe need to think about naming for physical features,” says Ridley. “For other features in the landscape that are enduring... and not subject to multiple perspectives on historical interpretation.”

St. Albert’s inquiry runs until Feb. 21. After that, a council meeting on March 18 will make a decision on whether the neighbourhood should be renamed and consider options presented by St. Albertans.

This will come weeks after anti-immigrant protests and counter-protests in St. Albert in January.

“I am a little afraid, to tell you the truth, of some inappropriate, harmful words spoken in council chambers on the 18th,” says Heron. “I am scared of that because it leaves a blemish on St. Albert as a whole. And everything I know and love is that they’re accepting and inclusive. So, just like the protests, it’s actually a good example, you see some negativity, but hopeful that the positivity overwhelms it...The debate is welcome, as long as it’s respectful.”

David Ridley says negativity surrounding the name change is expected.

“It’s not always about listening to the loudest or most angry voice in the room,” he says.

“You’ll always hear the comment that we’re erasing history when we tear down a statue or rename an asset,” Heron adds. “That is, in my opinion, a mistake to ignore history and not know where we came from...I think this is all about education, not erasing history.”

Heron suggests that even if the city votes to replace it, the Grandin name may not disappear completely. She thinks a plaque commemorating the former name of the neighbourhood could ensure that the city’s history isn’t forgotten.

Still, Heron wants St. Albert’s neighbourhood naming convention to remain intact. Roads in each neighbourhood in the city begin with the first letter of their neighbourhood’s overarching name.

“It should be a G,” she says. “I don’t think there’s any rule that says it couldn’t be. But I’ll be looking for a G.”